A “weird feeling” crept over Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, and the reasons went beyond grieving over the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss dying Monday from an undisclosed form of cancer that affected his kidneys.

The Lakers have to find a way to maintain the legacy Buss left. Buss, 80, bought the Lakers in 1979, when he purchased the team along with the Forum, the NHL’s Kings and a 13,000-acre ranch in Kern County from Jack Kent Cooke for $67.5 million. Buss then oversaw 10 of the Lakers’ 16 NBA championships and built a franchise Forbes magazine recently valued at $1 billion.

No pressure, right?

“Is there a way to replace him and do exactly what he did and how he did it?” Kupchak said. “No. We’ll just have to tackle it our own way.”

It remains unclear whether the Lakers (25-29) will use Buss’ passing as a rallying cry, beginning with a matchup tonight against the Boston Celtics (28-24), their longtime rival, at Staples Center. The Lakers enter the post All-Star break in 10th place in the Western Conference and sit 3 1/2 games behind the Houston Rockets (29-26) for the eighth playoff spot.

The Lakers will host an unspecified pre-game tribute for the late Buss and have a private memorial Thursday afternoon at the Nokia Theatre, with both ceremonies bringing reminders on the uncertainty ahead.

But Kupchak provided immediate clarity on how Buss’ passing will affect the ownership structure.

Jim Buss will remain as Lakers executive vice president of player personnel, a title he’s had in eight of his 15 years with the organization.

Jeanie Buss will keep her title as the Lakers’ executive vice president of business operations, a role she’s had for the past 14 seasons. But there’s one significant change on who’s in charge.

“I report to Jimmy Buss,” Kupchak said.

The Lakers may enter the post-All Star break with a tall task in climbing back into playoff contention. But don’t expect the Lakers to address their under-achieving roster with moves before Thursday’s trade deadline at noon PST.

“It’s unlikely there will be an upgrade in the talent of this team,” Kupchak said. “I just don’t see how that’s realistic.”

That’s because the Lakers already have carved out a $100 million payroll and are paying an additional $30 million in luxury taxes. Many presumed more after such a budget landed Dwight Howard, Steve Nash and key reserves (Antawn Jamison, Jodie Meeks) to complement Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.

Whether Howard likes it or not, he should expect to wear the purple and gold for the rest of the season.

“That would be correct,” Kupchak said.

The Lakers have set up a trust that will run by Jeanie, Jim and Johnny Buss. Buss’ other children – Joey, Jesse and Janie Drexel – also will have ownership stakes.

“Everyone seems to work well together,” Kupchak said. “But don’t think for a second there’s not an adjustment period. You lose a father and lose a leader like Dr. Buss, even though I hadn’t spoken to him in the past four or five months, knowing he was there was a good feeling to me.

“He’s gone now. There will be some changes. But I don’t anticipate a problem.”

The partnership has experienced conflicts. The most recent one happened this past November, when the Lakers hired Mike D’Antoni instead of Phil Jackson to replace the fired Mike Brown.

Jackson, who recently became engaged to Jeanie, believed the Lakers would rehire him after meeting with him at his Playa del Rey home. That didn’t happen.

How is the working relationship between Jeanie and Jim?

“They’re texting and communicating on the phone and visiting in person,” Kupchak said. “That’s not to say everything’s perfect all the time. But I’ve been with them on decisions and sharing information.

“They communicated and worked very well together.”

Kupchak said he’s worked well with Jim, too.

“He spends a lot more time with me than his dad did,” Kupchak said of Jim. “He’s very strong in his opinions. Yet after an hour, two or three, if I feel strongly he’ll defer.”

Jim Buss is no stranger to criticism. He was involved with the Lakers’ hiring of Rudy Tomjanovich as coach in 2004, which lasted less than a season because of health reasons. Buss was instrumental in hiring Brown.

This past off-season, Buss showed plenty of involvement in upgrading the team’s roster while still keeping their core lineup in Bryant and Gasol intact.

Mark Medina has been the Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Daily News since 2012. He also works as a Lakers insider for AM570 and is heard on national radio outlets, including The Dan Patrick Show, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, The Chris Mannix Show, Fox Sports Radio, CBS Sports Radio, Yahoo! Sports Radio and SB Nation Radio. Medina also appears frequently on Spectrum SportsNet and NBC4's "Going Roggin."

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